What's ripe, and what's coming up
A running calendar of Colorado harvest windows and festival dates, so you can plan a menu before the date is already on top of you.
Peach season is still in full swing
Palisade peaches are at their peak through the next few weeks, trucked over from the Western Slope to farm stands across the state. This is the window for peach salads, cobblers, and anything that lets the fruit do most of the work.
Start watching for the first green chile roasters to show up outside grocery stores — that smoky smell is the surest sign fall is close.
Upcoming festival calendar
Every date below links to a menu built specifically for it.
-
MON · SEP 7
Labor Day
The last long weekend before the mountains turn — great for a lake or river dinner. See our pan-seared Rocky Mountain trout.
-
MID-SEPT
Aspen Color Season
The high country starts turning gold, and green chile roasting season kicks into full swing across Colorado. See our Pueblo green chile pork stew.
-
SAT · OCT 31
Halloween
A menu built for a porch full of trick-or-treaters and their chaperones. See our roasted poblano and butternut squash chili.
-
THU · NOV 26
Thanksgiving
A full table for family and friends. Start with our herb and citrus roasted turkey.
Cooking with the mountain calendar
Produce picked close to its peak, and cooked close to where it's grown, tends to taste better and cost less than something trucked in months early. In a mountain town, the growing season is short — which makes catching each window while it lasts even more worth doing.
We update this guide as the calendar turns, so check back as late summer gives way to green chile season, ski season, and the holiday table.